An Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet - Prajna Quest

''188 B O OT AN./extremely useful as beasts of burden;for they are strong, surefooted,I. and carry a great weight. Tents and ropes are manufactured of theirhair, and amongst the humbler ranks of herdsmen, I have seen capsand jackets made of their skins. Their tails are esteemed throughoutthe East, as far as luxury or parade have any influence on the mannersof the people;and on the continent of India they are found, under thedenomination of Chowries, in the hands of the meanest grooms, as wellas occasionally in those of the first minister of state.They are in uni-versal use for driving away winged insects, fliesand musquitoes, andare employed as ornamental furniture upon horses and elephants :yetthe best requital, with which the care of their keepers is at lengthrewarded, for selecting them good pastures, isin the abundant quantityI of rich milk which they give, and the butter produced from it, which'is most excellent. It is their custom to preserve this in skins, or bladders;and the air being tiius excluded from it, it will keep in this coldclimate throughout the year: so that, after some time tending theirherds, when a sufficient store is accumulated, it remains only to loadtheir cattle, and drive them to a proper market with their own produce,which constitutes, to the utmost verge of Tartary, a most materialarticle of merchandise.I had the satisfaction to send two of this species to Mr. Hastingsafter he left India, and to heal- that one reached England alive. This,which was a bull, remained for some time after he landed in a torpidlanguid state, tillhis constitution had in some degree assimilated withthe climate, when he recovered at once both his health and vigour.He afterwards became the father of many calves, which all died